Basically I like all kinds of photography. Starting from macro to landscape, from street photography to strobist.
Then when asked, why do I like animal pictures? Answer me "Easy. No need to direct the pose, not too dependent on the weather. Simply capital lenses tele which incidentally can lease, go to the local zoo, snap-snap, and so.
That easy? Apparently not! When I showed my photos to a senior photographer, he commented that my photos were just a snapshot of a walk to the zoo alone. Shocked? Offended? Of course. All aspects of photography have been fulfilled. Exposure, composition, color, and more?
Criticism of a friend was a lash for me. I am so diligent to open the photography books in the library, Google there, Google here, until I finally find my shortcomings.
1. Not just a close-up
Taking pictures of animals is generally required tele lens (tele lens), especially if you are in the wild. So it is with the zoo. Because if not, the point of interest and details of the animal will certainly not be obvious.
Unless you do intend to compose with its natural nature. Cliffs, trees, sunset, can be an interesting element besides just a picture of animals in the middle of the frame.
Another use of telephoto lens is that, if you are in a zoo, the bars of the cage can be made out of focus with large aperture openings.
2. Eye Contact
There is nothing wrong with photography, just nice and not nice to look at. For that there are some grips that are commonly followed for photographing animals; one of which is eye contact.
Prepare to be covered with soil and dust bath. Subdue yourself, if necessary, down. Attempt the eye-level of the animal's eyes with your lens.
Because the eye is the window of the heart, your photos will feel more intimate and your object animal feels more expressive. As well as basic photographs of humans, the camera's focus point should be on the eyes of the object. Which eyes? The closest to your lens. For the latter, it can not be contested.
3. Camera Settings
Generally I shoot with setting Shutter priority (S on Nikon, Tv on Canon). This is because the animal movement is difficult to guess. There are times when I want to freeze orangutans that jump from tree to tree, or sometimes I want to get the motion blur /
panning effect of a running horse.
If my settings are in Aperture priority or Manual, it's hard to set each time. The moment is gone.
Use High Continuous Mode. We will never know when the best moments from animals in motion will be found. The risk is the memory card will be full fast, especially if you use RAW format.
Set focus mode in Continuous Focus. On Nikon is shown with AF-C, on Canon, AI Servo. Continuous Focus is useful for shooting the focus of moving objects.
4. Non-Technical Matters
Photographing animals is not just technical. Animals are living things that have their own expressions and uniqueness. Discover their unique natural properties.
The lion's roaring roar is certainly more interesting than the sleepy one under the tree. The leaping dog catches the frisbee, much more interesting than the daydreaming in front of the cage.
But this is just a little secret from me, if you take pictures at the zoo, generally their high activity is ahead of meal schedule. Find out their meal schedule. They will be more active at the time of feeding, such as jumping around, running for food seizures and so forth.
Arrive early to the area before lunch time, usually full. Determine the best spot , make sure all the camera settings are correct, you will get more than just animal portrait!
Photography is a waiting game . Sometimes a wildlife photographer must wait for hours or days to wait for a certain moment.
Last tip, be the responsible photographer. Never interfere with the wildlife of animals and their natural habitats. That's what counts. Your photo will not mean anything if you take animals that suffer much less disturbed ( abused ). Start learning from your pet before you dive into the wild.
See you again on my post 